Fresh from being embarrassed by the best French-speaking player in the NHL, the Canadiens face the pride of Nova Scotia and a pretty darn good Russian.

Any optimists out there?

Anyone more disappointed than the Scott Gomez-bashers, who looked forward to the vindication of an inspirational road win with number 11 out of the lineup?

The Canadiens played well for 20 minutes, then it got ugly … against a Philadelphia team lacking Chris Pronger, James van Riemsdyk and Jaromir Jagr.

You just knew all those blown power-plays would catch up to them.

The Flyers had killed off four shorthanded situations when Giroux, fresh out of the box, popped one from a ridiculous angle to make it 1-1.

A penalty to Marc-Andree Bourdon gave the Canadiens a chance to reclaim the lead, but more PP incompetence energized the Flyers and Jakuv Voracek (man, Paul Holmgren makes good trades!) scored the winner.

Giroux added his second during a period in which the Flyers had a ridiculous 18-5 shot advantage.

I thought Eller played a decent game. His 5:50 on the power-play didn’t accomplish much, but it’s valuable experience that will pay off down the road.

The Canadiens desperately need Andrei Markov back to provide point presence on a PP that has become a popgun.

Tomas Plekanec can’t play the point.

The Canadiens hoped Yannick Weber could, but he’s been dreadful and is devoid of confidence.

The lone bright spot was Alexei Emelin’s six hits. The Russian has solidified his status as a starter.

I could go on and on about the Canadiens’ suckitude, but it’s 6 o’clock and I’m meeting friends for a downtown dinner.

Shall we wrap up this truncated ALN by recalling the 2006 draft?

Picking 20th, the Canadiens took Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey.

Picking 22nd, Philadelphia heeded the strong recommendation of their Quebec scout. Simon Nolet likes a slick-skating playmaker who had scored 87 goals in two seasons with Gatineau of the QMJHL.

The rest is woeful history.

Defenceman David Fischer has never played a game in The Show and is currently in his second season with the Florida Everglades of the ECHL.

Claude Giroux is a superstar.

And Giroux grew up in Hearst, Ont., as a fan of the bleu-blanc-rouge. Robert Lefebvre sends this pic of young Giroux in his Saku Koivu jersey:

I just figured out the Habs PP and why it isn’t scoring much. The PP is an opportunity for JM’s system to display the magnitude of it’s defensive ability for all to see. The 4 goals against not withstanding.

The power play is free time for Martin to defend (excepting the lead leading 4 goals let in while having the man advantage). It’s 2 minutes (or less in his worse nightmares) of quality and efficient keeping it close.

The System™ is all counter attack. So in The System™, the PP strategy has Plekanec on the point in order to give up scoring chances and thus enabling the Habs to score on the countering and ensuing 3 on 1’s and 4 on 2’s after the opponent commits too much while short handed.

They just need to work on not letting those goals in and they’ll be fine.

Glad I picked yesterday for the day I actually listened to the wife when she said “you could have supper ready when I get home. Saw the Nokileinenenenenenenen goal, missed the rest.
____________________________________________________
They lost me 2 quarts of rum, better make it up next year with a cup!

I missed the game yesterday. First one this year. I should be glad that I did but I like watching them lose too. It give perspective on the wins. I would write off their chances against the pens though, they seem to find a way to step up against them. I hope that continues. I’ll miss the game tonight as well due to ringette. I have got to quit this coaching gig!!

******************************************
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

It was pathetic how easily Philly dumped and outskated our team to the free puck time and time again. Even my favourites PK and Gorges quit on more than one occasion. It was disgraceful.

I don’t get this team. Sometime the switch is on like when they outcompeted the Rangers, sometimes it’s not — like when they slept through a Sid/Malkin-less game in Pittsburg or last’s night epic suck fest against a Prong-free Philly.

“Numerous First Round Busts?” HH?
I have it at 2 in 10 years, Chipchura and Fischer.

As for a “Euro Fetish”, this is ridiculous. Only 1st round pick on a European player in 10 years is Kostitsyn. 2nds were mostly in CHL and by the 3rd round, it is very prudent to look for talent in the European rankings. Goalies selected with high picks since 2001: Carey Price. Other than that, 1 4th, 2 6ths and 1 9th over 10 years. And the Canadiens have drafted 12 players in the last 2 years under Gauthier and only 2, neither higher than a 4th round pick were under 6’1″. Canadian-born picks have been disappointing more than anyone in the draft.

2008’s pick was a bust. Wait a minute. There was no 2008 1st round draft pick.

Ryan McDonagh was a bust in a sense because he was traded for Gomez. That is a huge wasted pick IMO and thus a bust.

David Fischer and Kyle Chipchura as you mention.

Andrei Kostitsyn. This given the Habs needs at the time at centre especially considering the number of quality centres available that year, players like Getzlaf, Carter, Richards, and Kesler. So AK IMO is a bust. A huge bust. He’s one of the Habs better players this season but that isn’t saying much as each the summer mega blow up signings are in decline if not already useless.

Higgins, Komisarek and Hainsey were busts because they were not retained. Those picks were squandered as none of those assets were turned into anything and just frittered away.

That’s 9 wasted 1st round picks in little over 10 years. To me those are busts.

The only other 1st round picks of note since the 70’s are Koivu, Svoboda and Wickenheiser. Wickenheiser for the wrong reason though. He is the crown jewel of Habs 1st round ineptitude.

Now you’re reframing terms and definitions to suit your arguments when you’ve made good ones in the past, but now are going overboard because the team is down and you are going for the typical shock value.

Andrei Kostitsyn is an active player in the NHL with 20G seasons on his record and is capable of hitting that mark several more times. You want to take bust? Hugh Jessiman, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Cam Barker, Jack Skille, Gilbert Brule, Ben Pouliot. Is he outperforming the All-Stars of his draft class? No but he’s not a failure of an NHL player. No more than Keaton Ellerby is made to look as a failure by PK Subban, Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh.

Busts are reserved for trades, UFA signings or draft picks that fail to achieve any relevance. Sergei K trade was a bust for example, as was the Laraque contract or the selection of David Fischer.

The team’s issue rests in talent management and return on investment. It’s not very honest to make such a statement when most of the assets you named gave some kind of return to the team while they were on the roster. Great returns when lost? No but the attacks on the draft record that I have to find myself continously defending should be rooted in reality or properly argued.

They’ve been getting better in the past few years in the selections I agree. If Beaulieu, Tinordi and Leblanc pan out then it will certainly be good news. But that still leaves a huge wasteland of fumbles and errors behind it.

Kostitsyn would have been a great pick if he was taken with the Habs 2nd pick. As it stands at #10 and with the class behind him it was a bust. Get real SF09. This is possibly the 2nd worst draft blunder in Habs history since Wickenheiser.

Oh, and Mr. Boone, it’s the Florida Everblades with a ‘b’, which is almost as clever a name as the Orlando Solar Bears. You probably just missed it, rushing out the door as you were to partake of the pageantry of a Friday night in Montreal.

The Canadiens might have seemed poised for a win against the Flyers this afternoon, seeing as they were missing Chris Pronger, James van Riemsdyk and Jaromir Jagr, but one look at the Glorieux’s roster showed that they were going to play short one line, seeing as they had Frédéric St-Denis playing wing on the fourth line, and along with Aaron Palushaj would frame Petteri Nokelainen.

Using a defenceman on the wing has been a frequent practice lately in Montreal, with Marc Streit, Marc-André Bergeron and Yannick Weber being stashed on the fourth line so they could be available for the powerplay. Plugging Mr. St-Denis there however is incontrovertible evidence of the lack of depth of our club. He doesn’t bring any specialist skills to our lineup, but our organization is so devoid of NHL-ready players that he was used to ineffectively plug a roster hole. Meanwhile, at the start of the game, RDS of course focused on Maxime Talbot, who was acquired as a free agent this summer by the Flyers, for a relatively affordable contract, especially considering he is only 27. Which made it even more clear that Ian Pulver, who stated that his client Scott Gomez’s contract was not hindering the Canadiens, is full, just chock full to the point of bursting at the seams full of shit.

The game itself began on a lethargic note, with both teams seemingly intent to prove the point that former players made during RDS’ pregame show, which is that they didn’t like afternoon games, since they disrupted their routine and were hard to get ready and motivated for. As it unfolded, the ice progressively tilted in the Flyers’ favour, as their superior talent became more and more evident. Carey Price’s excellent performance was not enough to neutralize the Flyers’ edge, and our methodical penalty kill was neutered by our impotent powerplay. For the Canadiens to beat the Flyers in Philly, they needed to be inspired and to fly up the ice, but instead they were disappointingly anemic.

Alexei Emelin has by now I believe proven his worth, and does not need me to continue to advocate for him, Mr. Martin has obviously read my posts and taken them to heart. More importantly, he has allowed himself to be convinced by Alexei’s play, as he continues to hit hard and block shots, and his offensive creativity slowly emerges while his confidence and playing time increases.

P.K. Subban is still trying to find his bearings. He was hooked today, and again, infuriatingly, stopped playing, swiveled his head to the referee and did his palms-up shrug, to no avail as he didn’t get the call. In sharp contrast, David Desharnais was hooked in the second period but skated through it and continued to fight for the puck in the offensive zone. His focus and determination earned the Canadiens a whistle and a man advantage, whereas P.K.’s jeremiads increasingly convince the zebras to look the other way. Mr. Ladouceur, please, hold the intervention. Sit him down and show him the video, he’s a smart boy, it’ll sink in. Tell him about Ryan Kesler who decided to shut up and just play hard last season, and was rewarded with a career-high 41 goals, an All-Star Game appearance and the Selke Trophy.

It’s a grandiosely self-important statement so outrageous that I thought couldn’t be interpreted as anything but ironic; it’s poking fun at what we do here on HIO, which is bitch in the dark while incapable of changing the light bulb. It may have missed the mark, since you are so befuddled that you used 6 question marks for two interrogatory sentences. Next time I’ll add some smileys and LOL’s, that ought to do it.

I hold on to things. That is part of my problem. I hold onto grudges, I dwell on petty injustices committed against me, I clutch tightly those insignificant events that better adjusted people have the presence of mind to release from their consciousness. My terrible ability to hold onto these memories, however, is also largely responsible for the fact that I remain a Habs fan to this day. Any logical person will tell you that I shouldn’t be…hell, I haven’t lived in Montreal in twelve years and to be honest the on_ice product just hasn’t been that captivating. Who can forget, though, all those Stanley Cups that were brought home during my formative years? Yes, these sweet, sweet victories left an indelible stamp on me…or so I thought. I had assigned to my heroes Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson, Steve Shutt, and Bob Gainey a status reserved by others only for deities. I was positively obsessed with the Habs and and this fascination lasted a good long while.

I find, dismayingly so, that my interest is waning now. The Montreal Canadiens no longer seem to deserve the amount of time that I spend following their exploits (or lack of them). Don’t get me wrong. I am no better than they are. In fact, I am a crackhead, a thief, a whoremonger, a hypocrite, a liar…basically a person of ill repute. The one thing that I do have going for me however is that I give it all i’ve got every night at work. For that reason and probably that reason alone, my fans have stuck by me despite my obvious shortcomings. So while i can be counted upon to relapse occasionally, i can also be deemed worthy of “leaving it all on the ice” each and every shift. And while i do not have any natural ability at what i do (which is to cook) everyone knows just how much i care about every dish that i send out to our guests. I wear my heart on my sleeve so it is pretty much public knowledge that i am crushed when i undercook a piece of halibut or underseason a salad. I have been known to leave the kitchen in search of dissatisfied guests so that i may offer a genuine apology for a sub-par performance. These types of negative incidents will happen in any business but it is inexcusable when it is the result of a lack of passion or of effort.

My employers and colleagues have seen me at my best and at my worst and have decided that my dedication to the cause justifies their continued allegiance. I think about their loyalty a lot and am very, very grateful for it. At the risk of sounding cocky, though, i feel that i have done my part in earning it. The Habs have not done much recently to earn my continued support. It is time for this storied franchise to stop assuming that past glories will continue to rivet me as a fan and supporter of this once proud organization. My therapist will be very happy to hear that I am just about ready to drop a bad habit.

In the immortal words of legendary broadcaster Danny Gallivan: “Time is becoming a factor.”

– Fire Martin
– Weber and Diaz need to be replaced
– Emelin needs to stick as a starter
– Price and Cole worked their butt off tonight
– Cammalleri: enough talk, now start scoring
– Subban is in fact in a sophomore slump
– Hoping to see AK46 and Markov back. We need them.
– Send Palushaj to AHL
– This should be Gomez’s last season with the Habs

People who blame the draft record are blind. The issue has been talent retention and return in trades as the draft record has produced a lot of players, just many of them are no longer in MTL. The Habs have been weak in those areas for far too long. The pipeline is good, albeit they could really use a blue chip forward to secure the team’s future going forward. Perhaps deal some of the excess D prospects out as part of a package in the 2012 draft…

I agree with several of your points. Yes, the team has managed to trade away prospects for little in return. However, to be fair, what could Montreal really get for a player like Latendresse, whose sense of entitlement was only exceeded by his denseness. Yes, the team has not done a very good job on the development side (e.g., perhaps promoting players too quickly).

However, to say that those of us who question the team’s draft record over the past 10 years are “blind” is too strong. For how many years have the Canadiens had a gaping organizational hole in terms of defencemen, yet continued to draft forwards and goalies? For how many years did the Canadiens have a Euro fetish that blinded them to top prospects in their own backyard? And whose strategic decision was it to draft only “small, speedy” players to prepare for the “new NHL?”

Please feel free to provide evidence against my positions, but don’t call me blind. I can see clearly that this organization is looking more and more like the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I think some fans are simply dazed and confused at this point Robert. Look at tonight’s shotgun comments where almost everyone associated with the team gets blamed for some share of the disappointment. Then look at the solutions offered, from tanking to firing the coach and GM to trading 75% the roster. Even the so called “untouchables” list to trade is in dispute these days. Have we yet seen one comment regarding blame or one regarding solutions which is entirely realistic?

My take on the whole thing is that the on ice product is simply not performing up to their capabilities in any consistent fashion (duh). I don’t know why they do it but since I don’t believe in conspiracies (ie. the room has quit on JM) or that one player is the problem (ie. Gomez is the root of all evil) or that we can wave a magic wand and conjure up the perfect coach (ie. Roy or anybody from antichambre FFS?) it certainly won’t keep me up at night worrying about it.

From what we’ve seen when they’re on their game they can beat anybody and that’s what I hang my hat on for the moment. It’s my team and I love them. Unconditionally.

I notice that Tampa’s super coach (whats his name) is not being mentioned much this year. The super coach that got away?
Seems this habs organization is really short on professional players and has only one prospect in the OHL? Other teams seem to find 18-20 year olds that can play now. The 4th line players by the way tell the story, they are not very good.They might help Hamilton. Anyone see the article on 15 juniors who should be given a shot? NADA one a Hab.

Things are not looking very good this year. The Hamilton cupboard is indeed bare now. From a drafting perspective over the past 10 years, the Canadiens have not fared well, with the exception of the 2005 draft. It is admittedly much more competitive environment now than 40 years ago when the Canadiens did hire the very best administrators and scouts. Still, since scouting, coaching, and administration costs are not “capped,” one can only conclude Molsons remains indifferent to excellence as an organizational objective — or more likely has a different, competing goal: to make as much money as is possible (which, disturbingly, is the same objective of the Toronto Maple Leafs). I sure miss the days when the Canadiens farm system could turn groundchuck into tenderloin.

While everyone bashes the coach, GM and highest paid player on this team, I would like to commend Trevor Timmins on doing an excellent job as director of amateur scouting. The Canadiens have to keep this guy.
The NHL draft is a guessing game for a lot of teams (see Flames, Calgary), but Timmins time and time again finds players who go on to have an impact in the NHL.

I am glad you raised this issue. I should note, I disagree with your overall assessment of Timmins’ performance. Let me direct people’s attention to this link, and then draw your own conclusions about Timmins.

I have to disagree with this article.
It is outdated , and as the article says, Timmins picked in 2007, Weber, Mcdonagh, Subban and Pacioretti…. that’s a REALLY good draft year. Two top pairing defenseman, a top line winger and a top six defenseman.

Yes 2006 sucked for the Habs at the draft table, as Boone pointed out above.

In 2005, this article claims the Canadiens missed out on several first round picks…. but they picked Carey Price in 2005 which was brilliant, and they also yoinked S Kostitsyn, Latendresse and D’ Agostini. And all three of those players are solid contributors in their respective NHL franchises.

As for 2004, 2003, the ninth round picks were Streit and Halak. Taking Kostitsyn over Carter was dumb, but like I said earlier, the NHL draft is a lot of guesswork. But still in 2003 and 2004 the Habs added several solid NHLer’s.

I am not sure the criticism it is “outdated” is appropriate. Since it was published in 2009, its observations remain pertinent given we cannot draw any meaningful conclusions about the 2010 and 2011 drafts…at least for now. I agree with you about the 2007 draft. That was an oversight in the article.

That said, looking at the team from a historical perspective, the Canadiens’ scouting and development departments are, to adopt Platonic language, images of images of what they once were.

Issue is talent retention and return in trades and not losing in FA for nothing. Habs have 4 players out of their 2009 class in the AHL right now and at least a 5th who will get there in Mac Bennett. That’s a steady stream of talent infusion, plus Ellis, Tinordi and Gallagher from the 2010 class incoming.

a) letting Souray, Streit and Komisarek go for zilch
b) a 1st and three 2nds for rentals never to be resigned
c) McDonagh for Gomez
d) nothing for D’Agostini, SergeiK, Latendresse and little if anything for Grabovski
e) numerous bogus 1st round busts

What do you do? They can dazzle you at times, and make you want to shove a hot stoker in your eyes so you never have to witness that PP again.

Ok, I have no idea what JM is teaching Pleks anymore, but Tomas would be much better suited down low.

Markov, I can’t wait until he is back (Pleks won’t be playing the point then). If the team could play the PP half as good as most games 5 on 5, I am SURE they would win A LOT more. They really have to get back to the win column soon.

I love watching Sid, but I hope he comes up with Bupkis tomorrow night.

I think JM is going to keep Pleks at the point when Markov returns, he’ll be the guy to bomb one timers from the point… The left-handed shot like Streit or others before him. Not saying I like Pleks at the point
, I just think JM is going to keep him there.

I really hate to bring this up but … the Leafs (my least favourite team) try hard with every game and with every shift. Is this the coach’s motivation ? Our boys, on the other hand, often decide to take the night off – like today’s gutless game. Why is this team so inconsistent ?

Also, I think several of our boys are just going thru the motions, like Pleks, for example. Not much real fire anywhere.

Was wondering, can the Habs decline a penalty like in football, cause the other team seems to gain to much momentum killing the penalty? The Habs have the killer instinct of the Dali lama, and the Bruins have the killer instinct of Genghis Khan.

Just had a thought this could be a match up on the show The Deadliest Warrior, hmmmm wonder who wins that match up?

Yes I know the Habs were playing Philly today and not the Bruins but I think my point was made. LOL

Saturday should be a good game if the Habs play like they did today it will be like the proverbial lam to the slaughter.

The Habs are suffering from poor drafting pre-2007. They’ve been doing a good job since (although they’ve been trading away draft picks like candy for rentals and this has deprived them of prospects) but from 2006 back to when Andre Savard and Trevor Timmins rolled in, we’re suffering the fruits of that span. Instead of having talent in the system, they were forced to go out and spend oodles of money and resources on players who weren’t worth it (ie. Gomez, Cammy, Spacek, etc. Yes Cammy, he’s been great in the playoffs but he’s also been an absolute dog this year and last year in the regular season. He shies away from physical contact and turns over the puck more then any forward not named Gomez). Couple that with a coach who makes some of the worst player decisions in the league and we’ll continue to get this kind of inconsistency.

They’ll continue to look great one game and then awful the next. It wouldn’t surprise me if the beat Pittsburgh or lose to them. That’s just the way they are.

Well because his agent (who obviously has a totally non-biased opinion) thinks that it would be a mistake to do that to Gomez because even though he absolutely sucks he’s never missed the playoffs in his career.

The way I see it, sending Gomez to Hamilton at this point would accomplish little in terms of player personnel. Barring a massive trade, we are stuck with the current configuration of players until this season is over. I would suggest sending Gomez to Hamilton soon, but only to free up salary cap space for next’s year’s UFA crop. Unfortunately, though, the team will not become better in the short-term just by sending Gomez to Hamilton.

I’ve said it before, AAA baseball is for guys on the way up and guys on the way down. Gomez has had a great career in the NHL, let him go down and be a star in the AHL for 2 more years and become a player/coach for the Bulldogs. Teach them the art of the drop pass and the dippsydoodle.

mario tremblay never coached a day in his life when he was hired by the habs……….Patrick Roy has been a winning coach in the minors…..ur comparing apples and oranges ………Roy can out coach tremblay any day of the week……actually any coach can for that matter

I’d rather Captain Kirk before Roy….. at least until Roy gets more experience coaching at the pro level. There’s a big difference between coaching wide-eyed youngsters trying to make the NHL, and coaching actual pros (given the egos and entitlement that can often come with the big salaries). Also, Roy might have too much fire as Tony eluded to below.

Also – any of us on HIO can out coach Tremblay. I can’t believe the guy even has the stones to walk the streets of Montreal.

Granted he won 5 cups, but anyone who played on that team in the 70s could have filled in for him and won. Patrick Roy literally won the cup himself in 93 and lead the Avs to their’s. I think he might one day be a nice fit with the right GM

You guys have to make the mental transition from sports royalty to a troupe of athletic entertainers. That is what the Montreal Canadiens have become. They are the NY Yankees of hockey until the Red Wings or Leafs catch them in Cup victories. And, given the suck-ass nature of this franchise, it will take a little more than a decade!

i posted this earlier but the biggest difference between the habs and the flyers is pretty simple.
we have seen the habs dominate periods just like the flyers did today.
but the habs would be considered fortunate to score even 1 goal in a period like this.. let alone 3. and usually they score 0
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The 2010-11 Stanley Cup was not won, but given

As far as I was concerned, there was always something “fishy” about Gauthier and Martin. Something I’d seen before. Been racking my brain.
And then it hit me during Jacques post game press conference.
Do any of you remember the famous Spanish ventriloquist Senor Wences and his sidekick Pedro? No, you say!
Well today’s your luckky day… Senor Wences and Pedro are on youtube. Take a look.
Only then you will really know “Absolutely everything about the Montreal Canadiens”

At this point we don’t really know what’s worth keeping on this team. Gomez, who in earlier incarnations has been a playoff beast is either washed up, badly handled or in need of competent snipers. The only reason Cammi has gotten a free ride up till now is that Gomer is a little worse and higher paid. Gionta has likely entered what will, optimistically, be a long, slow decline in scoring output, but who can even say that for sure? The team is probably too small, but then again, it went to the conference final two years ago, with essentially the same players.

I think the real danger here is that Gauthier might be allowed to go ahead and blow things up, trading away assets for players of a lesser quality. The only solution, I believe, is to fire the coach. This too could prove to be a mistake, but it is the mistake that would cause the least damage. If a new coach comes in and the team performs the same way, then you know for sure that the player mix isn’t working, and something needs to be done about it. If all of this could transpire before the trade deadline then they could start moving players for draft picks and begin the rebuild. I won’t speculate about who we should move, but, like everyone else, I could provide a short list of personnel to hang on to. (Pleks, Price, Gorges, Patches, Emelin, Eller…youngish players that could form the core of a team 3-5 years from now) Before moving anyone, though, I’d sure like to see what someone else could do with the group we have now. There’s just too much pride and professionalism in guys like Gomez and Gionta to make sense of the kind of effort we’re seeing on a regular basis from this team. The third period of this afternoon’s game, the team came out looking like they were instructed to protect the two-goal deficit. Desharnais and Cole looked like the only ones embarrassed enough to actually exert themselves a little, and then only in the last two minutes of a game that was clearly over as soon as the period had started.

It will be interesting to see just how patient a man Mr. Molson is. I suspect he’ll at least put off decisions till Markov is back, in the hope that that might be the spark the team needs. Me, I’d pull the trigger before tomorrow’s game. Today was enough to convince me that this team is going nowhere. Let’s get started now on the next rebuild. I haven’t got that many left in me.

Injuries, fights in corners from the grind
Fifteen hundred penalties and no way to score.
Scattered fractures from old style hits from behind
Takes time to recover
and the cupboard’s bare.
Can it be that it was just The System™ then
or was Halak’s play just too divine?
If we had offence to score more and again
tell me would we? Could we?
Injuries, may be piling up and yet
once again the team’s dismembered
play not to lose are rarely a threat
So maybe after, well past December
we’ll be a contender
for a playoff berth.

Future looks bleak?
With guys like Beaulieu, Tinordi, Gallagher, Leblanc, Bournival down the pipe, and Price and PK still being youngsters – WTF are you talking about?

Too many longterm overpaid contracts?
Except for Cole and Pleks who are both bright spots on our roster (not Pleks’ fault JM puts him at the point on the PP), nobody else is signed longer than 2 seasons after this one.

Gorges a #5, 3rd pairing Dman?
He’s not a top pairing guy but he’s easily a 2nd pairing Dman. I don’t know of any team in the NHL off the top of my head that can really say they have more than 2 Dmen who are considered ‘excellent’.

If you want to be pissed off about the loss and how the team played today like the rest of us, then that’s fine – I’m with ya. But knee-jerk negativity about the entire organization and it’s future is asinine.

So you’re a glass half full guy. That’s fine, but the other half (while not empty) is of such weak character and average talent that competing with the likes of Brunes and Phlyers generally ain’t gonna happen. Hit or miss for eighth place. What’s the result been on the road in Philly the last 20 or more years? Love the kids in the pipeline but Giroux should have been ours. The anti-Quebecois choices CH have made the last 30 years dating to Wickenheiser are those of delusional incompetents.

Hey Tony,
I consider myself a cautious optimist. I agree that there are problems with the organization as it is today (some current roster players and the coach, also management to an extent), and we have been stuck in mediocrity in recent seasons with regards to Playoff results.

I don’t like revisionism when it comes to the drafts cuz for every “bad” choice (Fisher over Giroux), there’s likely a “good” one. For example taking Price over Gilbert Brule worked out pretty well. Generally I like Timmins scouting and PG seems to make the right calls – he being the one who has the ultimate decision. Not having a full time scout in the Q until recently was a terrible organizational mistake….especially considering it was the Habs who were making it.

As far as the french players thing….personally I couldn’t give two sh!ts about whether a player is french or Quebecois or not. I think that whole way of thinking is antiquated and will yield poor results. This is a hockey team, not a political vehicle. No offense to ANYONE as I myself am from Montreal, but if Quebecois people need to look at a hockey team for a sense of pride or belonging, they should really look in the mirror.

Puttering along at .500 is not good enough for this franchise. JM saved himself with a stretch of three wins against Philly and Boston, but that shouldn’t immunize himself from future, serious evaluations as to his future with our franchise. Why delay the inevitable? We will not win the Cup with him, or be a very competitive, confident team. The inability to fix the PP after so many blown chances is emblematic of a coach without a solution, and who favors some players (e.g., Weber, Darche) without justification. Do we need the young reporter to call out JM again before he makes a change and takes Pleks off the PP point?

A win inspires optimism; a loss frustration; then a win some optimism. But taking a step back, this one-win, one-loss approach is not sustainable and is not acceptable for the Habs organization.

We lost, badly, to a team without Pronger, JVR, and Jags, and against their backup goalie. This wasn’t loss, this was an embarrassment — another embarrassment on the watch of JM.

I totally agree. I love Pleks, but how can you consistently play him at the point on the PP when he is that bad!? How long does this failed experiment last? It’s so frustrating how he keeps players in positions that don’t work, or alots ice time to underachievers. I held high hopes for this year and it’s been brutal hockey from the get go. I definitely think we need a coaching change – he’s had his 25 games. Time to go. PG not too far behind – (Brock Trotter will be a 20 goal scorer in this league.)

Pathetic. With the pattern, this team has been following (win one, loss one) they will never make the playoffs.

The System sucks. Not sure if others noticed it but with about 9-10 minutes left to play in the game the Flyers had the puck in thier zone. For a moment, it looked as though the play was going to come to a complete stop (a la Tampa Bay game). Not one Habs players is forcing the play. They are sitting back waiting for the Flyers to break out. I am thinking, YOUR ARE LOSING BY 2 GOALS, what are you sitting back for. Unacceptable. Get rid of the system and whoever installs the system.

Sorry, Boone, Eller stank today. So did Subban and Weber. That was a painful 2nd and 3rd I sat through, after rushing home early from work.
Price was the only one actually competing out there and only allowing 3 was a great job considering the piss-poor effort in front of him.
Can’t anyone on this effing team up front throw just 1 check on a Dman?
On the PP, where the hell was the traffic in front of the net? On the other hand, were Weber and Subban actually awake for the game?
I know they are young, but step up, ffs. That means you, Invisible MaxPac and Gionta.
I feel like that old guy selling newspapers on the corner. He never reads the headlines, but he keeps shouting, “Terrible! Horrible!”
Wow, what a turkey the Habs left on the ice. A disgrace.

Enough is enough. For Jacques Martin to continue to put Tomas Plekanec at the point game after miserable game and to watch him fail is more than dumb, its irresponsible. If Jacques Martin is trying to get fired , then give him kudos, he’s going at it in the right fashion. How many of us could continually do something wrong in our jobs day after day and continue to get paid? Not many. How this “coach” manages to maintain his grip on this team is amazing to me.

Jacques – Plekanec is a playmaker who is needed down low. He does not have a power shot from the point and never will. Teams are playing in his face and he’s got nobody to pass to. Your plan for the powerplay IS NOT WORKING. Give it up. Try something else. As Einstein said, insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Its time for you to go. “You’ve been here far too long for the little good you’ve done”.

I have been thinking the last few games that ,’ hey, the habs are really playing great along the blue line on the pp.. They seem to be able to pass the puck back and forth very well, yet none of their shots are great nor do they cycle it down low.. ever. It’s 2 on 3 or 1 on 2 in front of the net and the habs never get any room. But then you put it the way you did, and you realize it is because pleks can move the puck that they are just keeping it on the line. This is an utter failure of a pp, and JM is to blame. But to whom is this a surprise. The guy coaches D first for a reason, he has no clue how to run an offense. This team generates very little from the cycle, mostly just board play with point shots. Lots of goals scored off the rush… and by lots.. well look at the stats. We don’t score much. What I do notice is cammy is an EXCELLENT play maker when in tight, but this happens very little. In fact on the pp he is off the half boards, alone, with a d man to play with, and 3 defenders in between him and the net. Go figure he has so few pp goals. But he is highlighted in my memory with slick slick moves in tight to set up chances that get turned around usually. I’d imagine if the team was more centered around a 3-2 forecheck with lots of room and options for cammy to use, his goal totals would be higher. At this point, as I said, he is always 1 or 2 on 2, and being a smaller guy, he is usually out muscled. Anyhow, JM has got to go. I agree with most that the way the team is playing right now you can’t blame anyone BUT JM.

emelin , cole, and price came out to play today, seems like the other team didnt really. Is it just me or does pk seem frustrated and even sluggish at times, not quite the same as he was last year, possibly coaching is the reason? who am I kidding of course thats the reason.

The worst part is, there is no way Martin will ever stop thinking Plekanec should play the point. He decided early in the year that he would try it this year, and no matter how bad our powerplay does, no matter how many games we lose because of it, that’s where Pleks is going to play and that’s it!

I realize that Weber had a terrible game, that neither he, Diaz or Subban have played well recently, but I still think all three should rotate on the first unit and have at the very least Plekanec replace DD/Eller at center. I have nothing against either player but I don’t believe they will ever be first wave type of players.

I would much rather officially “rebuild” and suck for another year or two than “pretend” and suck for the next year or two..or three..or…decade!

Please, please replace Mr. Martin with a hockey coach who understands the modern game. Please, please draft big, fast, skilled young players who hail from Canada’s junior development leagues like the Q, the O and the WHL.

I agree, but at least doogie has a strategy. Can the Canadiens make that claim? What strategy do the Canadiens have? Pick the best player available? They aren’t even doing that (e.g., bypassing Giroux, picking Kostitsyn)!

Back in 2003, based on skill Kostitsyn was the best player available at #10. Timmins draft record from when he started to 2006 is a joke. 2007 till now has been much better but they’re suffering from the lack of depth that those first drafts produced

That ranking, I presume, was Central Scouting’s, yes? They usually get the top five players right, but after that each team’s scouting staff must assess the potential and character of the remaining players. This is where, as you note, the Canadiens are suffering now. I still am not certain why so many people think Timmins is some sort of guru. He isn’t. And I wish posters would stop claiming he is doing good work because he drafted Nathan Beaulieu. Until Beaulieu and other recent draft picks prove themselves at the NHL level, they remain prospects. The standard for assessing Timmins is not how many junior-level points his draft picks have.

We just have to leave it up to the players. They have to get Martin taken from behind the bench or buy into his system and start competing. One or the two, because the team work out there is a disgrace! and an embarrassment. Not one player is giving his all, except for PRICE, they have much better talent than this crap.

I also totally agree that DD has been missing in action the past few games but who do we really have at center? I know people are gonna say Eller.. and I agree he should prob be given his chance up there about now… But he was outscored by DD last year despite neither playing top-six and he has only 7 points this year. There is nothing to prove that he is a top 2 center either.. It sucks to say, but I believe we are just kicking tires. The results will be roughly the same no matter how we slice it. We lack at center and we’ve known it for years.

I rarely post here…but do enjoy most of the comments…some of you are actually quite educated about hockey. I am not…but my beer league hockey knowledge says this. You play hard and are willing do go the extra mile, get dirty, etc…when you like who you are playing for. If you don’t, you won’t do those extra thinks that are required to win. The Penguins obviously like thier coach. They can win without their best players. Look at Washington…after that HBO series last year it is tough to beleive any Washington Capital wants to play for Boudreau. And you can tell by the play of Ovetchkin. The easy answer. Fire Martin. I think the players don’t like him and don’t beleive in his system…whatever that system is.

What I make from your comment is that you are a Price fan, not a Habs fan…if you were a Habs fan, wouldn’t you want the best possible available goalie for your team?
Me, I’m a Habs fan, so I’m OK with Price being here for the time being.

__________________________
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” – Jean Beliveau.

I wonder if we can pull off a trade with a team who wants to ensure they meet the cap floor in the future while adding veteran experience and center depth? Possibly one that could use a young, cheap, offensive Dman. I’m sure it’s a pipe dream, but something like:

Gotta love seeing the best french-canadian in the league hammer the Habs… Must agree with all the people talking about how when we win “one” game everything is great, when we lose “one” everything is crap. It’s like listening to a guy with Short-term memory loss, or long-term depending how you look at it. This team is NOT good. It’s not shit poor, but it is average at best and has been that way for soo many years now that I’m not even sure why it’s a debate anymore. Great goaltending (Roy, Theo(for a bit), Price) have masked what has clearly been a mess for a while. Think about it this way; Your Montreal Canadians have not had a true “star” forward in what? 20 years? They have had some solid forwards.. but real stars…nope. They have in net(Roy and now Price) but nothing at forward… really!! There are people on here wishing for AK to come back as some sort of fix, that’s what it has come to…wow. No other team in the league would even want this guy on their team and he is our answer.. might tell us all we need to know. I just pray that I see a Crosby, Giroux, Nugent-Hopkins, Stamkos etc type player come MTL’s way before I die… I’m only 29.. but I still have my doubts! Also love the poke at not picking Giroux…let’s see… Hainsey, Komisarek, Higgins, Fischer, Mcdonagh, Kristo, MAX, Tinordi.. see a trend here. Not to say anything against american hockey players(I think Max will be a good one for us) but really that many in the last 10 years… Who out of that list has really helped move this organization forward? Giroux would have, Getzlaf or Perry might have, but I guess the Canadian hockey league isn’t good enough for the mighty Habs!

The big thing in the early and mid 2000’s was the supposed american dominance of the draft eligible players that performed at the WJC. Outof all of those teams that were supposed to win and dominate only 2 golds (one was handed to them by fleury) and a couple of bronze. This should go to show you that they aren’t the next canada at hockey and aren’t producing superstars at all but we go to the well there more often than not…its a trend that has now diminished if you look at the last few drafts. I always remember Bob Mackenzie talking about how the Americans are gonna dominate the WJC but nothing ever materialized, acutally it was funny cause they mostly dissolved within. Phil the Thrill Kessel was pegged as a cancer in the room and lost all respect from his teamates….also he was tagged the American version of Syd the Kid…ya right. I am not sterotyping but in reality the heart isn’t there from the american kids…I love Cole and Gionta and Max but the Superstars come from Canada and Russia period. Yanks make servicable players … but no superstarts…you can say Kane is the closest thing but he will in no way shape or form lead the league in scoring or be a threat….2 years ago there was two americans in the top 30 in scoring….2, last year 4. Kane was in the top ten…thats it…and it includes Statsny and Parise..both dual citizens that played all their minor hockey in Canada with Canadian Dads well canadian and slovakian er czech

The habs really lacked energy and effort today. Maybe we need to get a real 4th line that consists of players that will go out and hit to try to change momentum. Instead we play an ahl defenceman on our 4th. But he’s french, so that makes up for it.

Please lets not start re-hiring the former greats or the former coaches. Carbo was marginally better, or perhaps no better at all than JM. Lets hire someone who knows today’s game. I don’t have a name but there gotta be someone like that our there. And of course, they must speak francais.

carbo was not better then Jm. I wish we didn’t need to get someone that speaks french. If the best candidate doesn’t speak french then so what. It’s frustrating when they won’t get the most qualified due to the fact he can’t speak french.

funny how when gainey took over from carbo the team was better. But you’re right, it was gaineys fault that carbo wasn’t a good coach. Carbo was worse with his lines then martin is. And martin is horrible with the lines

Unfortunately Ian, I believe Monsieur Ladouceur speaks French as well as Bryan Trottier or Mark Messier or Jack Valiquette or Pat Boutette. Which is not at all. Their French flavour begins and ends with their last name.

A good road first period completely wiped out by a woeful final 40. The Habs pumped a few harmless wristers in the final minutes of garbage time to run up the 3rd period shot total to 11, but outside of the foiling of Erik Cole were any of those shots legit scoring chances? The second period was a sad-sack 20 minutes. It exemplified bad hockey because players just didn’t seem mentally prepared. I don’t know if Martin was too focused on the Very Hard-level Sudoku during the intermission to utter a few words or what, but 19-5 is atrocious when you have three consecutive power plays.

You look at the team that played this afternoon and wonder how it’s composed of the same never-say-die squad that rallied from two down against Carolina just two days ago.